Washington state highways pass through a rich and varied landscape that provides habitat for wildlife species ranging from golden eagles to Roosevelt elk. Spectacular wildlife-viewing opportunities are also available beneath the waters of Puget Sound, where schools of rockfish share the rocky terrain with giant Pacific octopus.

Three new wildlife-viewing maps produced by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) provide a point-by-point guide to viewing opportunities in diverse areas of the state, from the shrub-steppe of central Washington to the floor of Puget Sound. Each map highlights prime viewing sites along with public facilities available at each location.

Puget Sound Dive MapBeneath Emerald Waters
This guide to the underwater world of Puget Sound highlights 45 diving sites and provides information about various types of marine habitat and creatures that live there. The map also lists 10 marine science centers where divers and non-divers can learn more about marine life in one of the world’s most productive inland seas.

Yakima Area Wildlife Viewing GuideThe Cascade Mountains to the west cause a rain shadow. Many habitats occur, from near-desert conditions in the low elevation shrub-steppe upwards through dry Ponderosa Pine and Douglas-fir woodlands, then wetter forests similar to those of the “wetside,” and finally glacier-mantled peaks astride the Cascade crest. Sample the great variety of wildlife of the Yakima region by visiting the following numbered sites or select the specific region.

Birding In and Around Klickitat CountyPeople have observed over 290 bird species in Klickitat County. What makes Klickitat County an exceptional, year-round birding environment are the range of unique habitats from the moist foothills of the Cascades to the dry, open country of eastern Washington. Fir forests dominate the west end of the county where pine and oak transition in the central region as rainfall declines. Much of the eastern county is agricultural with old homesteads and open range grasslands. Other special habitats important for many bird species found in Klickitat county include seasonal wetlands, springs, creeks, sagebrush and basalt cliffs found along the Columbia River. All these habitats provide important resources for birds during the nesting, migration and winter seasons.